


Just a Dream Within a Dream, Said the Monster in my Head

by trinybear



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Ghost Ben Hargreeves, I Hate The Ghosts, Klaus Hates The Ghosts, Klaus just wants Ben back, Poor Klaus, Someone give Klaus a hug, They're about 14, Young Ben Hargreeves, Young Klaus Hargreeves, no beta we die like ben, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:54:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25852444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trinybear/pseuds/trinybear
Summary: Before his death, Ben was always there to protect Klaus from the ghosts, and even after death he was still there…or so Klaus thought.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & The Ghosts
Kudos: 32





	Just a Dream Within a Dream, Said the Monster in my Head

**Author's Note:**

> Angst incoming. This takes place just a bit after Ben died and under the assumption that Ben didn’t appear to Klaus right away. Also, Reginald still takes Klaus to the mausoleum for training. Additionally, just a warning, this story contains slight depictions of gore in the form of the ghosts Klaus sees as well as some curse words, but it’s very mild.

Klaus had the covers pulled tightly over his head. It did little to dull the screams of the dead, but at least he wouldn’t have to look at their bloody and mangled apparitions any longer. Their mutilated, wispy bodies only added to the terror and pain of their awfully loud cries. They all hurt so much, but he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what they wanted from him. So, he tried to drown them out and ignore them all. However, it seemed like that wasn’t going to be an option tonight. There were too many of them and on top of that, it was one of his bad nights.

_Not the mausoleum. Not the mausoleum. Please, not again._

_“Dad! Let me out!”_

_“Dad! I promise, I’m not scared anymore. Just let me out, please!”_

_“Three more hours, Number Four.”_

_“No, Dad. Wait!”_

_Let me out! Let me out!_

_“Klaus.”_

_“Klaus!”_

_“Klaus. Klaus, help me!”_

_“Help us, Klaus!”_

_“KLAUS!”_

Their screams echoed as a phantom reminder of the mausoleum and they bounced off the walls of his room, the walls of his mind. _It hurts!_ Sadly, it was like this every night – worse after the visits to the mausoleum, and so much worse than that ever since Ben had died.

Ben. He always knew how to help. But now he was gone and Klaus, for the life of him, hadn’t been able to make the ghosts disappear, or at least shut them up like they would whenever Ben came to his rescue. Klaus missed him. He missed the comforting hugs. He missed the late-night sleepovers. He missed hearing his voice. He missed how understanding Ben was about his powers. But no matter how much he missed him; Klaus still hadn’t been able to summon Ben for some reason. Several months had come and gone, but nothing. So much for being able to commune with the dead if he couldn’t even talk to his brother. No wonder good ‘old Daddy dearest called him his greatest disappointment.

Tonight though, it was bad, really bad, and Klaus was missing his brother more than ever. He didn’t know why there were suddenly so many ghosts in one place, nor why they were wailing so damn loud. He supposed it was his clear state of mind. Being sober and all that. Klaus regretted not taking something now, but he was trying to stay clean for Ben. Just in case his brother finally decided to show up. Though, if the ghosts kept returning in mass like this, he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to hold out before he broke, the voices of the dead becoming far too much for his mind to handle – even if it was all for Ben. _If only Ben were still alive. Maybe I could be stronger…or maybe he could be strong for me._

Klaus was suddenly knocked out of his thoughts when a cold hand pierced through his blankets and into his chest, a terrible chill rattling his body. As the cold, dead hand retreated, the covers were thrown back along with it, leaving Klaus feeling naked and vulnerable to the circle of souls surrounding his bed.

“Shit!” He clambered backwards into the corner where his bed met the wall. It wasn’t much of an escape, but it was as far away as he was able to get.

As he back peddled away, Klaus was startled by the fact that some of the ghosts were able to take a hold of his ankles and pajama bottoms. He quickly resorted to fending off their cold, rough, grabby attacks by kicking out at them when he felt one take hold, but the tactic was failing fast. “Get. Off.”

Klaus was scared now, and not just the regular level of scared he got when there was a less-than-pleasing-to-look-at ghost around. No. Klaus was so scared in a way that he wished he were back in the mausoleum, because at least there none of the ghosts had been able to grab him. He was terrified at the new development of his powers. It wasn’t something that should’ve been possible for them to do. No ghost had ever been able to actually touch him before! Why now then?

Another grab. Another kick.

Grab. Kick. Kick.

Then it hit him. It was Ben wasn’t it? Well, not Ben _Ben_ , but the thought of Ben. Wanting him here with him. It was making the other ghosts corporeal unintentionally. And oh, gosh. Couldn’t he ever have anything with his powers go right for once?!

The ghosts were closing in faster. The circle of them becoming less and less of a barrier preventing his escape and more of a mob trying to pile on top of him. The only thing Klaus could do was continue his fruitless kicking, adding in a punch or two here and there, but none of it worked. Most of his hits phased right through them or didn’t seem to faze them at all.

His struggling cries were getting louder and he wondered if any of his siblings could hear him and if they did, why hadn’t they checked in on him yet? Though, to be fair, each of the household’s occupants were quite used to Klaus’ noisy nights by now. His nightmares keeping him up if not the ghosts. And it was usually Ben who was the first to run to his side anyways, but it was unlikely that that was going to happen any time soon – no matter how much he wanted it, it seemed. But then again, how did the saying go? Speak of the devil and he shall appear?

In an instant, as if all of Klaus’ fears had finally reached a breaking point – no longer able to be held back – there was a blinding flash of light that encased the entirety of the bedroom. Both Klaus and all of the ghost were instantly stunned. Klaus threw an arm out to shield his eyes and at the same time the ghosts that were corporeal all let go of his limbs in a mad scramble to escape the light, each of them directing their screams at the mysterious blue glow instead of Klaus. And Klaus, not being the focus of the ghost’s attention for once, squinted his eyes and peaked past his arm to see what was happening.

It was hard to see, but Klaus could make out what appeared to be straggly, pale blue tendrils that swept across his room in a flurry of rage, hitting any advancing ghost that got near. And soon enough, one by one, each ghost within the room was hit by the horror-like wisps and evaporated out of existence with one final banshee-like cry.

With all the ghosts having been banished for the time being the room fell into a still silence and the blinding light died down as the chaos finally came to an end. Able to see clearly now, Klaus was able to make out a small figure standing across from him. _A ghost? Wait. Was that? It was!_

“I knew it! I knew I was able to conjure you!” Klaus cried, jumping up from his bed and making a run towards Ben, prepared to wrap him in a hug, but instead he passed right through his brother and hit the wall with a thud.

Pushing off the wall with acquired skill, Klaus turned back around to Ben, seemingly unfazed. “I knew you were there, that you would save me like you used to. You were always my favorite, Benny-boy.”

Ben said nothing. His figure was still, and his eyes were unfocusedly, focused on Klaus, unblinking.

“Uhh, Ben?”

“…”

Still nothing.

“Ben, are you alright?” Klaus stepped closer.

“Kl…”

“Ben?”

“Kl…lp…me.”

At this point Klaus was but a foot away from Ben, his ears straining to pick up what his ghostly brother was trying to say. “Ben, what do you need? What are you saying?”

Klaus timidly raised a hand as if to take Ben’s shoulder and steady him, but before he could try Ben’s figure started flickering and warbling like an old television set stuck on white noise. His body was flashing blue as it faded in and out of Klaus’ view.

“Ahhh!” Klaus recoiled back as spark of something suddenly shot off Ben’s shoulder and sent a shock through his hand and down the rest of his body, causing him to fall back onto his bed. “What the hell?”

Looking down at his newly injured left hand, Klaus saw pale blue Lichtenberg figures run from his fingertips up into the sleeve of his nightshirt. He guessed they covered the rest of his body too, given how his toes still tingled from the jolt, but his eyes kept focus on his arm. The umbrella tattoo on his wrist now reminded him of a bad omen – the blue streaks hitting his tattoo like lightning would a real umbrella in an unfortunate storm.

Klaus looked back up to Ben, ready to question his brother on what just happened. “Ben, what the hell-” his jaw parted, and a small gasp fell through his lips, “was…that?”

“ **Klaus, help me.** ”

That wasn’t Ben. That wasn’t his brother. Then who? The ghost that once appeared as Ben now took the form of an older, lanky gentleman. His body was disfigured almost beyond recognition, beaten and bloody from head to toe, but Klaus remembered him. Oh, he remembered him – his image too horrid to forget so soon. Klaus had seen the man earlier in the night at the mausoleum. He had been the loudest of the all the ghosts there, and while the others usually just cried until their voices were raw, this particular ghost seemed to want something from Klaus, or just wanted to kill him. He kept trying to reach for him, to grab, or to do whatever it was he wanted to do. Either way, Klaus didn’t want anything to do with him, but here he was. In his room. Somehow the ghost had followed him all the way back home without Klaus noticing. That had never happened before. And certainly, never had a ghost taken on the form of another before. Least of all not Ben.

“No! Get away!” Klaus didn’t care about waking his brothers or sisters anymore, he just wanted the damn imposter gone. “You’re not Ben! I want Ben!”

Klaus scrambled back under his sheets like he was at the beginning of the night, welcoming what little protection from the specter the blankets could offer him. The screaming didn’t stop however, so Klaus threw his hands over his ears, muffling the high-pitched shrill, just slightly.

“Go away! Go away!” Klaus clenched his eyes closed as tears started to form. “G-go away.” His voice steadily lowered in volume but increased in desperation. “Please, go away. You’re not B-ben. You’re- You’re not him! You’re not my brother. Go away! Please!”

“…”

“Goodbye, _Klaus_.”

After a moment, there was suddenly silence and Klaus slowly came out from under his covers.

“Ben…?”

There wasn’t a ghost in sight and for the first time that night, Klaus was alone. Hell, for the first time in what seemed like forever, there were no ghosts there to yell or scream at him, but somehow…it wasn’t as peaceful as Klaus thought it’d be.

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic! Yay! Sad, but yay! Hope you all enjoyed it. This is my first time writing for the TUA fandom, as well as posting on Ao3, so I’m open to some constructive criticism – heavily emphasizing on the constructive part. I might make a sequel to this, or maybe just an alternate ending, but who knows. Anyways, thanks for reading!


End file.
